Lifan xPect No Mods, No Major Maintenance Experiment Thread - Page 4

Frank Hotdogs · 03-10-2022, 11:53 PM

Speaking as a dude with a brand new X-pect with literally .1 on the odometer, I have essentially 2 questions here.

First, I'm not so much concerned with how long you can go without major maintenance as I am with how fast is it wearing out generally. Like, I don't care how long you can go before you do anything, but I want to know what you're seeing that's failing at this point. What you think needs to be done? Your general assessment of the condition at 4000 miles. I mean, don't destroy the bike, just evaluate how it's been so far without major attention.

Second, very simple: Why do you think it needs a bigger gas tank? A full tank gives you easily well over 100 miles right? My god man, what the hell are you doing that needs more than 100 miles of range at a go? In Florida of all places? Is there a place in that state that's more than 20 miles from a gas station? I live in Montana and I can't even imagine riding 100 miles without stopping for fuel and a coke.

China Rider 27 · 03-11-2022, 12:11 PM

There is maintenance and then there are worn out parts. Worn out parts are a safety concern. By now you should have developed an appreciation or shall I say "fondness" for this bike and that may motivate you to prolong its use as long as possible which means doing the 4000 mile maintenance and might your feelings move you further to consider improvements? Personally I would like to see the inside of your swing arm bearings and headstock if you get ambitious.

Boatguy · 03-11-2022, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by China Rider 27

There is maintenance and then there are worn out parts. Worn out parts are a safety concern. By now you should have developed an appreciation or shall I say "fondness" for this bike and that may motivate you to prolong its use as long as possible which means doing the 4000 mile maintenance and might your feelings move you further to consider improvements? Personally I would like to see the inside of your swing arm bearings and headstock if you get ambitious.

How about if I just test those? You know, lift the bike up, rattle things around a bit, see if there’s any play?

And you are absolutely right. I am enjoying the bike and developed a fondness for sure.

I will probably go over the whole thing with a fine tooth comb and take a bunch of pictures

Boatguy · 03-13-2022, 09:38 AM

Did the oil change part of this service since it was time anyway.

My oil filter screen has had ZERO bits of anything in it. Nothing at all. Ever. That might be important to note.

Countrytour · 03-13-2022, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boatguy

3000 miles. All is well.

Stock chain is S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G out though. May be time for a new one soon. Stock tires are getting noticeable tread wear in the middle. Especially the rear.

I’m actually at 3500 miles but forgot to update. Will update at 4000.

I'm surprised you have that many miles on the stock chain. I only have 1200mi on mine and I swear it's on its last adjustment.

Boatguy · 03-13-2022, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Countrytour

I'm surprised you have that many miles on the stock chain. I only have 1200mi on mine and I swear it's on its last adjustment.

It’ll keep going and going! Ha ha ha.

I only noticed it started to stretch just a little faster lately.

I still didn’t get a new chain. I don’t really know how to shop for a chain and sprockets for this thing. I was going to start another thread on that.

Boatguy · 06-18-2022, 08:52 PM

5500 miles (or so):

Today(and yesterday), I did the extensive 4000 mile maintenance as described in the user manual.

Still no major malfunctions. Just the bad wiring into the headlight area. Fixed last year with a conduit and electrical tape.

Valve Adjustment:

Went for .06 mm intake and .06 exhaust. The engine runs so smoothly at this settings it’s crazy. Like a brand new Honda. No valve sounds at all. Nothing. I had never adjusted them before. The valves were at .13mm and .15mm when I opened them up.

Lined up TDC on the right stroke by watching the intake valve go down (open), then go up (close) and catch that next T| on the flywheel. A perfect lineup in the pic.

Here is a video of waaay too much valve clearance. I found the best technique is to tighten the valves all the way, then back off to your desired gap. Otherwise there is play in the whole valve assembly.

https://youtube.com/shorts/4wuBkzB5U1E?feature=share

Rear tire and tube:

I decided to do this myself. With spoons! Took the hard way, but I needed to learn in case I blow a tube in the middle of nowhere. It was good practice.

It was really hard the first time doing this. I was stuck so I asked for help on the forum.

The minute I asked for help, I found the secret. Small bites. You have to take it easy and just do a few inches at a time on the bead. It’ll go. And I didn’t even use any tire juice at all.

Got it all put back together and went to inflate the tire and it’s leaking. So I took it all back apart again, took the tube out, and found that I pinched it with the spoons. That was my good tube. So, I have some kind of no-name brand tube in there right now. A heavy duty tube, when I was just looking to use a normal duty Michelin. The Michelin is the one I broke.

Got it all put back together and went to inflate the tire and it’s leaking. So I took it all back apart again, took the tube out, and found that I pinched it with the spoons. That was my good tube. So, I have some kind of no-name brand tube in there right now. A heavy duty tube, when I was just looking to use a normal duty Michelin. The Michelin is the one I broke.

This is the tube that comes in the Lifan bikes from the factory. The Yuan King. Considering their currency is the Yuan, it either means it’s very, very cheap (the dollar king) or very very high quality (dollar king). I think it’s pretty high-quality. 5500 miles without a problem on this tube.

I used a stick on rim strip. And it was garbage. It did not stick on the rim at all. Here’s a picture of how poorly it stuck. So I kept it on there, and I put the old rim strip over it, so that’s double protection I think I will be fine.

Chain and sprockets:

I got the JT sprockets front sprocket. Stock number of teeth. 15. I could not find a stock 46 tooth rear sprocket anywhere. Not in stock anyway. So I got it from KP Moto Club. It is simply a new stock sprocket.
I ordered the correct length JT sprockets chain. I got an x-ring chain. I know these aren’t supposed to be the best. But, supply chain problems. This is the best I could do. It has the clip on master link.

So first things first, I had to put the bike up on a stand. Oh yeah. I don’t have a garage. Oh yeah. I’m outside. Oh yeah. I don’t even have a little stand that goes under the engine. Lol I have to travel light. But some of you on the forum here had some great ideas. And I think everyone should take along a piece of rope when they go out on a ride. It makes things like taking the back wheel off a lot easier. Front wheel also.

Can you spot my motorcycle stand? Hint. It’s green. That’s seriously all you need to take a long on a motorcycle trip to work on the front or rear wheel.

So I put the front sprocket on. No troubles. I put the rear sprocket on. No troubles. I put the chain on. Also no troubles. What was difficult was trying to get the damn wheel in place to put the axle through it. The brake kept falling off. The brake kept rotating. The cover for the wheel bearing kept falling off. The rear sprocket and the housing that it is attached to kept falling off. What a nightmare. It was really difficult to hold the wheel up off the ground and try to get all of that to line up. There are no less than five parts that you have to hold into place that try to fall apart. Once you get the axle through, it stays. But wow. It sucks. I even propped stuff underneath the wheel to try to make it easier. It was still really hard.

Here is the front sprocket and new chain. Looking pretty good.

And here is the whole thing. New front bracket, new rear sprocket, new chain. Notice anything wrong with this picture?

FFS!!! I just lost half of this freaking post. Continuing now. Again.

This is the tube that ended up in the rear wheel. Godspeed. It’s a piece of crap. Lol

These brake pads look pretty fantastic after 5500 miles. So do my front pads. Maybe my clutch plates don’t. I’m a downshifter.

Misc: I checked a lot of little stuff. Headlight. Tail light. Blinkers. Brake light. Everything still works. Tightened the new chain.

Results: I’m really pleased. Doing this maintenance is important and you should do this. The bike is just so much quieter and more smooth now. No more squeaky rusty chain. No more valve noise. No more hesitation to stall when it is cold. It’s running like a brand new Honda. And you know what? I think this is every bit as good. They might design these bikes a little heavy. They might design them a little old-fashioned. But this thing has been treating me well.

What’s left??

I still have to change the front tire and tube. That should be a piece of cake now that I know what I’m doing. I am waiting on a Michelin front tire tube. It should be in in a week or two.

TominMO · 06-18-2022, 09:39 PM

See post #56 in my thread for sprocket info:
http://www.chinariders.net/showthrea...t=29655&page=4

TominMO · 06-18-2022, 09:46 PM

Two tips:
1. Try narrow Gorilla Tape for a rim strip. About an inch wide. Big box hardware stores.
2. Partially inflate the tube after you get it in there before putting the second tire bead on. This will lessen the chances of pinching the tube.
Bonus tip #3: All women over 39 are 39.

Boatguy · 06-18-2022, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TominMO

See post #56 in my thread for sprocket info:
http://www.chinariders.net/showthrea...t=29655&page=4

Yeah. That’s where I found my info. A very useful post. But they do not have a 46 tooth sprocket available. So, you would have to change the gearing from stock.

That’s where I found the 15 tooth JT sprockets.

Boatguy · 06-18-2022, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TominMO

Two tips:
1. Try narrow Gorilla Tape for a rim strip. About an inch wide. Big box hardware stores.
2. Partially inflate the tube after you get it in there before putting the second tire bead on. This will lessen the chances of pinching the tube.
Bonus tip #3: All women over 39 are 39.

I was thinking about doing the partial inflation. But then I realized I could actually tuck it down even further away from the rim if I didn’t do anything. What I did is I went around with my fingers the second time and pushed it way down to the other side. So it wasn’t anywhere near the rim side where I was using the spoons on the second assembly.

I think I like the double rim strip also. Some tape, maybe the gorilla tape, and then the standard rubber rim strip. Seems really robust.

Boatguy · 06-18-2022, 10:16 PM

I have a question. Why do I have rust inside my rim?

buzz · 06-18-2022, 11:27 PM

Boatguy a little sandpaper and paint will stop the rust.

XLsior · 06-18-2022, 11:56 PM

water ingress passed the spoke nuts will lead to moisture inside the rim causing potential rust on an unsealed inner steal rim. also the valve stem and a possible rim lock rim holes have the same ingress issue.

Boatguy · 06-19-2022, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XLsior

water ingress passed the spoke nuts will lead to moisture inside the rim causing potential rust on an unsealed inner steal rim. also the valve stem and a possible rim lock rim holes have the same ingress issue.

I see! So I guess that’s more a product of spoked rims. I haven’t really had any of these before.

My three wheelers were not spoked. Neither were any of my street bikes.

03-13-2022, 09:38 AM	#49
Boatguy Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Northeast Posts: 934	Did the oil change part of this service since it was time anyway. My oil filter screen has had ZERO bits of anything in it. Nothing at all. Ever. That might be important to note. __________________ 2020 Lifan x-pect
	0

06-18-2022, 08:52 PM	#52
Boatguy Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Northeast Posts: 934	5500 miles (or so): Today(and yesterday), I did the extensive 4000 mile maintenance as described in the user manual. Still no major malfunctions. Just the bad wiring into the headlight area. Fixed last year with a conduit and electrical tape. Valve Adjustment: Went for .06 mm intake and .06 exhaust. The engine runs so smoothly at this settings it’s crazy. Like a brand new Honda. No valve sounds at all. Nothing. I had never adjusted them before. The valves were at .13mm and .15mm when I opened them up. Lined up TDC on the right stroke by watching the intake valve go down (open), then go up (close) and catch that next T\| on the flywheel. A perfect lineup in the pic. Here is a video of waaay too much valve clearance. I found the best technique is to tighten the valves all the way, then back off to your desired gap. Otherwise there is play in the whole valve assembly. https://youtube.com/shorts/4wuBkzB5U1E?feature=share Rear tire and tube: I decided to do this myself. With spoons! Took the hard way, but I needed to learn in case I blow a tube in the middle of nowhere. It was good practice. It was really hard the first time doing this. I was stuck so I asked for help on the forum. The minute I asked for help, I found the secret. Small bites. You have to take it easy and just do a few inches at a time on the bead. It’ll go. And I didn’t even use any tire juice at all. Got it all put back together and went to inflate the tire and it’s leaking. So I took it all back apart again, took the tube out, and found that I pinched it with the spoons. That was my good tube. So, I have some kind of no-name brand tube in there right now. A heavy duty tube, when I was just looking to use a normal duty Michelin. The Michelin is the one I broke. Got it all put back together and went to inflate the tire and it’s leaking. So I took it all back apart again, took the tube out, and found that I pinched it with the spoons. That was my good tube. So, I have some kind of no-name brand tube in there right now. A heavy duty tube, when I was just looking to use a normal duty Michelin. The Michelin is the one I broke. This is the tube that comes in the Lifan bikes from the factory. The Yuan King. Considering their currency is the Yuan, it either means it’s very, very cheap (the dollar king) or very very high quality (dollar king). I think it’s pretty high-quality. 5500 miles without a problem on this tube. I used a stick on rim strip. And it was garbage. It did not stick on the rim at all. Here’s a picture of how poorly it stuck. So I kept it on there, and I put the old rim strip over it, so that’s double protection I think I will be fine. Chain and sprockets: I got the JT sprockets front sprocket. Stock number of teeth. 15. I could not find a stock 46 tooth rear sprocket anywhere. Not in stock anyway. So I got it from KP Moto Club. It is simply a new stock sprocket. I ordered the correct length JT sprockets chain. I got an x-ring chain. I know these aren’t supposed to be the best. But, supply chain problems. This is the best I could do. It has the clip on master link. So first things first, I had to put the bike up on a stand. Oh yeah. I don’t have a garage. Oh yeah. I’m outside. Oh yeah. I don’t even have a little stand that goes under the engine. Lol I have to travel light. But some of you on the forum here had some great ideas. And I think everyone should take along a piece of rope when they go out on a ride. It makes things like taking the back wheel off a lot easier. Front wheel also. Can you spot my motorcycle stand? Hint. It’s green. That’s seriously all you need to take a long on a motorcycle trip to work on the front or rear wheel. So I put the front sprocket on. No troubles. I put the rear sprocket on. No troubles. I put the chain on. Also no troubles. What was difficult was trying to get the damn wheel in place to put the axle through it. The brake kept falling off. The brake kept rotating. The cover for the wheel bearing kept falling off. The rear sprocket and the housing that it is attached to kept falling off. What a nightmare. It was really difficult to hold the wheel up off the ground and try to get all of that to line up. There are no less than five parts that you have to hold into place that try to fall apart. Once you get the axle through, it stays. But wow. It sucks. I even propped stuff underneath the wheel to try to make it easier. It was still really hard. Here is the front sprocket and new chain. Looking pretty good. And here is the whole thing. New front bracket, new rear sprocket, new chain. Notice anything wrong with this picture? FFS!!! I just lost half of this freaking post. Continuing now. Again. This is the tube that ended up in the rear wheel. Godspeed. It’s a piece of crap. Lol These brake pads look pretty fantastic after 5500 miles. So do my front pads. Maybe my clutch plates don’t. I’m a downshifter. Misc: I checked a lot of little stuff. Headlight. Tail light. Blinkers. Brake light. Everything still works. Tightened the new chain. Results: I’m really pleased. Doing this maintenance is important and you should do this. The bike is just so much quieter and more smooth now. No more squeaky rusty chain. No more valve noise. No more hesitation to stall when it is cold. It’s running like a brand new Honda. And you know what? I think this is every bit as good. They might design these bikes a little heavy. They might design them a little old-fashioned. But this thing has been treating me well. What’s left?? I still have to change the front tire and tube. That should be a piece of cake now that I know what I’m doing. I am waiting on a Michelin front tire tube. It should be in in a week or two. __________________ 2020 Lifan x-pect Last edited by Boatguy; 06-18-2022 at 09:25 PM.
	2

06-18-2022, 09:39 PM	#53
TominMO Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: De Soto, MO Posts: 1,977	See post #56 in my thread for sprocket info: http://www.chinariders.net/showthrea...t=29655&page=4 __________________ 2021 Lifan Xpect--sold 2022 Lifan KPX 1972 Honda CT90--The Carrot 1969 Honda CT90--The Tomahto Cheesy is the WDK (workplace drama king). Now retired. Nope, back in the saddle. Nope, finally retired. Climate: The Movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24fWmNA6lM How our government really works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjadCd0VRBw Question all authority.....think for yourself
	0

06-18-2022, 09:46 PM	#54
TominMO Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: De Soto, MO Posts: 1,977	Two tips: 1. Try narrow Gorilla Tape for a rim strip. About an inch wide. Big box hardware stores. 2. Partially inflate the tube after you get it in there before putting the second tire bead on. This will lessen the chances of pinching the tube. Bonus tip #3: All women over 39 are 39. __________________ 2021 Lifan Xpect--sold 2022 Lifan KPX 1972 Honda CT90--The Carrot 1969 Honda CT90--The Tomahto Cheesy is the WDK (workplace drama king). Now retired. Nope, back in the saddle. Nope, finally retired. Climate: The Movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24fWmNA6lM How our government really works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjadCd0VRBw Question all authority.....think for yourself
	0

06-18-2022, 10:16 PM	#57
Boatguy Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Northeast Posts: 934	I have a question. Why do I have rust inside my rim? __________________ 2020 Lifan x-pect
	0

03-10-2022, 11:53 PM	#46
Frank Hotdogs Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: Missoula MT Posts: 37	Speaking as a dude with a brand new X-pect with literally .1 on the odometer, I have essentially 2 questions here. First, I'm not so much concerned with how long you can go without major maintenance as I am with how fast is it wearing out generally. Like, I don't care how long you can go before you do anything, but I want to know what you're seeing that's failing at this point. What you think needs to be done? Your general assessment of the condition at 4000 miles. I mean, don't destroy the bike, just evaluate how it's been so far without major attention. Second, very simple: Why do you think it needs a bigger gas tank? A full tank gives you easily well over 100 miles right? My god man, what the hell are you doing that needs more than 100 miles of range at a go? In Florida of all places? Is there a place in that state that's more than 20 miles from a gas station? I live in Montana and I can't even imagine riding 100 miles without stopping for fuel and a coke.
	0

03-11-2022, 12:11 PM	#47
China Rider 27 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: PNW Posts: 984	There is maintenance and then there are worn out parts. Worn out parts are a safety concern. By now you should have developed an appreciation or shall I say "fondness" for this bike and that may motivate you to prolong its use as long as possible which means doing the 4000 mile maintenance and might your feelings move you further to consider improvements? Personally I would like to see the inside of your swing arm bearings and headstock if you get ambitious.
	0

06-18-2022, 11:27 PM	#58
buzz Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Dayton Pa. Posts: 953	Boatguy a little sandpaper and paint will stop the rust.
	0

06-18-2022, 11:56 PM	#59
XLsior Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Australia Posts: 1,448	water ingress passed the spoke nuts will lead to moisture inside the rim causing potential rust on an unsealed inner steal rim. also the valve stem and a possible rim lock rim holes have the same ingress issue.
	0